houthi chat group compromise as told by John le Carré
In le Carré's imagining, the story might unfold like this:
A group of high-ranking officials in the Trump administration, including the Secretary of Defense, Vice President, Secretary of State, CIA Director, and Director of National Intelligence, formed a clandestine Signal group chat to coordinate bombing plans against the Houthis in Yemen. In their hubris and incompetence, they accidentally added a journalist to the chat, exposing their covert operations and illegal use of unauthorized communication channels.
Le Carré would likely focus on the human element, exploring the motivations and flaws of the characters involved. He might draw parallels between the officials' behavior and his own experiences in the world of espionage, noting how "evasion and deception were the necessary weapons of my childhood".
The novelist would probably highlight the irony of seasoned intelligence professionals making such a basic error, reminiscent of his observation that spies are often "nasty, vengeful little orphan[s] with a psychopathic liar for a father and a boy-scout self-image as an antidote".
Le Carré might also explore the broader implications of this incident, much as he did with the Cold War. He could draw attention to how the West often betrays its own ideals in pursuit of its goals, leaving "old faces weeping, and children mutilated by the fatuous conflicts of preachers".
The story would likely conclude with a reflection on the decline of American power, echoing le Carré's portrayal in "The Honourable Schoolboy" of the United States joining "the club of second-class powers". In the end, le Carré might observe that this is "how they tried to win... from inside sound-proof rooms, through smoked glass, using machines at arm's length. This is how they lost".
https://www.perplexity.ai/search/houthi-chat-group-compromise-a-W3oK0Vv6QbGf5yYO3hL51g
houthi chat group compromise as told by graham greene
Our tale begins with an unsuspecting journalist, Jeffrey Goldberg, unwittingly invited into this digital sanctum of America's national security elite. Like a character in "Our Man in Havana," Goldberg found himself privy to information he never sought, a reluctant spy in a comedy of errors.
The chat, christened "Houthi PC small group," buzzed with the machinations of war. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, playing the role of the overzealous bureaucrat, detailed plans for airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen, complete with weaponry specifics and timing. Vice President JD Vance and other high-ranking officials, like figures from "The Quiet American," moved in and out of the digital shadows.
As the bombs fell on Yemen, Goldberg sat in a supermarket parking lot, an unwitting confidant to America's military might. The absurdity of the situation, the juxtaposition of mundane surroundings and world-altering decisions, would have been ripe for Greene's sardonic touch.
In the aftermath, the corridors of power in Washington echoed with recriminations and denials. The administration, like Greene's bumbling spies, scrambled to contain the damage, their explanations as transparent as tissue paper. Meanwhile, the opposition cried for investigations, sensing blood in the political waters.
In this tale of modern espionage, there are no heroes, only humans caught in the gears of a machine they barely understand. It's a story that reminds us that in the world of politics and war, truth is often stranger than fiction, and incompetence can be as dangerous as malice.
https://www.perplexity.ai/search/houthi-chat-group-compromise-a-v_QgdkxoQ0.gET1VutfuHQ
( John le Carré image: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2020/12/john-le-carre-england-politics/617379/)
(Graham Greene image: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/feb/24/graham-greene-my-hero-richard-holloway)
(X:) https://x.com/jameslangelle